Hogzilla

{{Short description|Giant pig killed in 2004}}

File:Hogzilla.jpg

Hogzilla (a portmanteau of hog and Godzilla) was a notably large male hybrid of wild hog and domestic pig that was shot and killed by Chris Griffin in Alapaha, Georgia, United States, on June 17, 2004, on Ken Holyoak's fish farm and hunting reserve.{{cite news|last=Dewan|first=Shaila|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/19/MNGNRBS0E71.DTL|title=DNA tests to reveal if possible record-size boar is a pig in a poke|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=2005-03-19|access-date=2007-06-12|archive-date=2011-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917070551/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2005%2F03%2F19%2FMNGNRBS0E71.DTL|url-status=live}} It was alleged to be {{convert|12|ft|m|1}} long and weighed over {{convert|1000|lb|kg|-1|lk=on}}. It was originally widely considered a hoax or urban legend.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Technology/story?id=599913 |title=The Mystery of Hogzilla Solved |publisher=ABC News |date=2005-03-21 |author=ABC GMA |access-date=2007-06-12 |archive-date=2018-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307062859/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Technology/story?id=599913 |url-status=live }}

The animal's remains were exhumed in early 2005 and studied by forensic scientists for an episode of Explorer for the National Geographic Channel. In March 2005, these scientists confirmed that Hogzilla actually weighed {{convert|800|lb|kg|-1}} and was between {{convert|6.9|ft|m|1}} and {{convert|8.6|ft|m|1}} long, diminishing the previous claim. DNA testing was performed, revealing that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic pig (Hampshire breed). However, compared to most wild boars and domestics, Hogzilla was still an unusually large specimen.{{cite web|url=http://www.natgeotv-int.com/pages/images/programmes/hogzillapic.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928193917/http://www.natgeotv-int.com/pages/images/programmes/hogzillapic.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 28, 2007|title=Image of "Hogzilla"|access-date=September 1, 2007|publisher=National Geographic Television}}

Hogzilla's tusks measured nearly {{convert|28|in|cm}} and {{convert|19|in|cm}}.

See also

References